Gay Marriages in NL Drops

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands -- When The Netherlands became the first country to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry in 2001, 2,414 same-sex couples tied the knot in that year alone.

Since then, the number has dropped to just over a thousand gay couples a year, a government agency informed in a statement Monday.

According to Statistics Netherlands, about 1,800 couples got married in 2002. In 2003, that number had dropped to 1,500 same-sex couples getting married. And last year the number had fallen to around 1,100.

It is likely that the numbers for the two first years were so high because many couples that had been together for a long time took advantage of the new law.

Since then, the "backlog" of couples seeking to marry has more or less disappeared and those now marrying are probably a better indication of same-sex marriage in general in The Netherlands.

However, Statistics Netherlands also points out that the number of marriages in general - both same-sex and opposite-sex - has been reduced considerably over the past five years.

According to the agency, the percentage of divorces are about the same for gay and straight married couples.